Residents urged to be on lookout for two invasive species in Chautauqua Lake

June 19, 2013

STOW - Area residents and visitors are advised to be on the lookout for two invasive species on Chautauqua Lake.

Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards and Chautauqua county watershed coordinator Jeff Diers were at Hogan's Hut in Stow on Monday, June 3 to ask the public to be on the lookout for both the water chestnut and hydrilla.

Neither plant has been spotted in Chautauqua Lake this year. However, hydrilla was found in Tonawanda Creek in the summer of 2012, which is less than 80 miles from Chautauqua County. The water chestnut invaded Chautauqua Lake last summer.

"The discovery of hydrilla in Tonawanda Creek last summer was alarming, because it is considered by many experts to be one of the worst invasive water species in the world," Diers said. "It has often been described as Eurasian milfoil on steroids, and it is vital that we prevent this invasive species from becoming established in our local lakes and waterways."